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Malicia (King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride)
Lady Malicia, or more commonly just Malicia, is an evil enchantress who is the antagonist of the 1994 adventure video game King's Quest VII. Novelization quotes She was definitely human, which was a surprise. She was quite beautiful in a haughty, arrogant sort of way. Her hair was the color of midnight and her full lips the same shade as the dark roses of Daventry. Her eyes, too, tinged dark red, the largest I have ever seen, and their gaze cut as cold as the iced peaks of the Impossible Mountains. The woman's appearance seemed to frighten the trolls, for one of them let out an involuntary belch as he looked at her with nervous eyes. She glared at him in the most hateful way, called him a foul name, and strode arrogantly off. He was going on and on about how lovely he thought me when that woman in the flowing gown-Malicia-appeared in a sulfurous puff of smoke. She didn't look at all happy. I just stood frozen in surprise at her arrival. "I've had more than enough of your distracting the King, you annoying little human snip!" Malicia shrieked, her beautiful face distorted by a wicked grimace. She raised up her hands like she was about to use some kind of magic on me. I stepped back nervously, and the Troll King tried to grab the woman's arms and stop her, but it was too late. There was a flash of blindingly white light, the smell of ether, and the most curious wrenching feeling I have ever known. The next instant I was back in my bedchamber-and this time, the door was firmly locked! I could hear Malicia's voice echoing in my ears, saying, "l'll be back to dispose of you before you know it, my pretty!" A volcano that Malicia wanted to erupt? Malicia wasn't in the Ieast concerned. Smirking evilly, she stated "What are a few villages and townships? Who cares about most of those people? Who's going to be left to miss them? They are all just unimportant pawns in the game that we play. At least the blight of Etheria will be gone and my vengeance will be complete!" Her little mutt yapped to emphasize her last point as Malicia spun on her heel and strode from the room in a swirl of her cape. I felt chilled to the bone. The woman was undeniably evil. This might be my only chance to get away. I hurried towards the cavern that contained the decrepit mining elevator, but no sooner did I reach its entrance than Malicia appeared out of thin air-again! I was getting a little tired of that trick of hers, although I must admit it was quite impressive. If only! knew then how much more tired I'd become of it before this was all over! Frantically, I dived behind another rock and hid. As Malicia stepped past me, still muttering about rats, I took out the little mechanical rat that I still carried, rapidly wound it up, then turned it loose in her general direction. I nearly laughed aloud when the rat ran right up her skirt! She screamed very loudly, kept on screaming, and disappeared more quickly than I would have thought possible. I wondered why we couldn't just take this device and end Malicia's reign of terror then and there, but evidently it had to be powered by a socket-whatever that was-in the wall of the fearful mechanical room. Before we could get any farther into introductions, an alarm hooted nearby, and Malicia appeared, somehow managing to look both annoyed and triumphant at the same time. "l do so hope that the two of you get along well," Malicia sneered, "since you're both going to rot together in the Land of the Dead for all eternity!" I stumbled backward, desperate to get away from her, and fell backwards into the coffin! Then I heard what I'd been hoping very hard I wouldn't. "Ah, home again, Cuddle-Poo," came Malicia's voice. "Back home to our dreary little shack in this dreary little swamp. How glad I'll be when all of Eldritch has ceased to exist! Then I can begin anew, and construct a dwelling more suited to my greatness. "I heard the little dog yapping, probably in agreement. Malicia! Rats! I ducked back under the floor, and the loose board settled down above my head. I looked up. Directly above me was a large knothole, and if I looked through it, I could see some of the room. Then all I could see was something black and wet-a dog's nose! Malicia's ratty little dog was sniffing through the knothole, and in another moment he would probably let Malicia know I was here. For a moment I though tall was lost-then I thought of the hideous smell of the defoliant. Quickly, I sprayed some of the defoliant through the hole, right into the little mutt's nose. The dog began sneezing and snorting and rubbing its nose with its paws. Malicia started cooing over the awful little thing in the most disgusting way. The dog looked pitiful, but of course it couldn't tell her what was wrong. She scooped it up in her arms and took it away. I heard her say "Would Cuddles feel better if we found him a nice, juicy arm bone? How about some stupid peasant to bite?" Then I heard the front door open and shut, and figured if I was going in, I'd better hurry. I pushed up and the floorboards came up with me, opening up a way inside.What can I say about Malicia's house? It was simply full of those little touches that tell you about the personality of whoever lives there. Her furniture looked like something out of my childhood nightmares, decorated with skulls and spiders and carvings of twisted, evil things. There was even a table with all sorts of alchemical equipment setup on it-jars of potions, a meat cleaver and less recognizable items. I had no malicious felt right at home here, but I couldn't wait to find King Otar's device and clear out. King Otar told me that the thing we were looking for was made of brass, with some sort of crystal lenses. It was from Etheria-that was the land of clouds I had glimpsed through the garden pond in Daventry-and it had the power to destroy Malicia, though she didn't know that. He had no idea where I ought to look for it, of course. I looked all over the house. The device wasn't on or under the bed, and it wasn't anywhere on the floor or under the rug, as far as I could tell. I remember there was a tall lamp with lots of crystals hanging from the shade, and the crystals made a sound almost like a song when I brushed against them. One of the crystals fell off, so I picked it upland put it back on the lamp. I already felt like a burglar-there was no point in wrecking her house while I was about it, even if she did deserve it. The next place I looked was the chest of drawers by Malicia's bed. The first and second drawers were of no particular interest, but they contained a number of interesting and odd items of Malicia's undergarments, and a fantastic-looking metal object. "That is the object we require, Princess!" exclaimed the King, terribly excited. I put the device into my pocket and put Malicia's things back in the drawer. Now I knew it was Malicia's house I had come to! And Malicia was so deranged that she was planning to destroy everyone and everything. I had to leave here as soon as I had the crystal and warn someone-anyone. If only she would leave so I could get inside the house! Suddenly a ratty little dog started sniffing and pawing at the knothole right over my head, sticking his vile little nose right down into my face. I knew he'd alert Malicia to my presence here, and that was a complication I didn't need. What could I do to distract him? Then it came to me. All dogs love a treat! I reached into my pocket, took out the chunk of ambrosia and pushed it through the knothole. The dog snatched it happily and began chewing. Malicia strode over and tried to see what he was eating, but the little mutt swallowed it just in time. "Come here Cuddles, you naughty creature!"she cried. "How many times must I scold you for eating those rat droppings? No matter.Come, Iet us go and watch all of Eldritch suffer in the heat of my wrath!" At that point, she swept the horrid little creature up in her arms and left the house. Before I could begin to explain, that is if I could have explained, Malicia herself burst into the room and saw me. Screaming angrily, she loosed a bolt of magical energy in my direction, but the King Otar flung himself between the blast and my body. The bolt struck him, and he was flung against the wall, knocked unconscious. Before either of us could act, Malicia turned to Edgar with a venomous look. Without a word, just a wave of her hand, she conjured a fearsome wind that lifted Edgar up like a straw doll and blew him out the tunnel door! Then she looked at me, her eves still like those of a hungry snake-cold and victorious. "Ah, Rosella," she crooned. "So we meet again. And this time I will guarantee that you do not escape me, my pretty!" She gestured wildly at me. A flash, the odor of brimstone, and I wasn't in the control room any longer. There were walls of heated rock everywhere I looked, and a terrible heat from beneath, coupled with a fiery red glow. I had been transported inside the very heart of the volcano! I was to be perched on a narrow ledge above a rapidly rising pool of molten lava. I was so frightened, I almost fell in, but I managed to grab onto the hot, fagged rock of the wall behind me and keep my footing. As I hung on for my life, my hand encountered a little niche in the wall where I could stand further from the edge. Before I could feel any safer, however, the lava began rising! There was no doubt that soon it would immerse me! From beyond the walls, I could hear the sound of Malicia. She was laughing. Right then, Malicia rushed back into the room, and the heat of her anger made the fires of the volcano seem as ice in comparison. She lunged at me, but Edgar stepped between us, glaring. "Do not touch her, witch!" he said. "The first time we met I enslaved your mind and body, but now your usefulness is over," Malicia hissed in return. "Prepare to die, worm!" Edgar only shook his head, never taking his eyes from her face. "Then kill me if you can!" Malicia raised her hands to destroy him, but a blast of magic came from his hands first, and she staggered back. He deflected her next bolt and blasted her again. She bent over in pain and Edgar lowered his hands. But it was a base and lowly trick! As soon as Edgar's guard was down, Malicia spun around and blasted him with a deadly burst of magical force. He dropped suddenly, limply, onto the floor-perfectly, horribly still, like a puppet with cut strings. I felt as if my heart were crushed in my chest. For a split second I was paralyzed... but you were there, Mother, and I couldn't let her harm you, too. I looked to the wall where I had plugged in King Otar's device. It glowed brightly, and I saw my chance to defeat the evil faerie if only I could but reach it. I dashed for the wall and came away with the device. Malicia turned to face me, black death in her eyes, energy crackling at her fingertips, and I raised the device and pointed it at her, snarling in defiance. Then a pulse shot out of it and enveloped the witch in a ball of bright light. What had I done? King Otar had said the device would destroy Malicia, but all I had really wanted to do was to keep her away from you, Mother. The magical energy ball shrank, and then it vanished altogether. There on the floor lay a tiny baby, right on the spot where Malicia had been standing. Malicia's obnoxious little dog ran up and sniffed it, obviously confused. I gave this a moment's thought. It had worked once-why not twice? I pointed the blasting device at the dog. The dog disappeared and was replaced by an adorable little furry puppy. It tottered over to Malicia-now a baby-and licked her cheek. Lowering the mysterious device and staring incredulously at what I had just done, I whispered, "I got you my pretty. And your little dog, too." hey held a ball in his honor, and he vanished again that very night! They set out to find him, never guessing until today that it was all a part of Malicia's evil plot! Queen Titania looked over at the baby on the floor. The baby reached her arms up to her. Titania hesitated, then picked her up. "Sister, something evil went wrong with you. Let us now make a new beginning," she said to the child. "This time, you will grow to love that which is good, and will frolic in the light instead of reveling in darkness." Gallery File:MeliciaAndRosellaKQ7.gif|In-game screenshot File:ConcepttitleposterKQ7.jpg|Work-in-progress green skin version malicia.jpg External links * King's Quest Omnipedia entry Category:1990s Category:Video Game Villainess Category:Witch Category:Cape Category:Brunette Category:Kidnapper Category:Attempted Murder Category:Defeated By Magic Category:Vengeful Category:Evil Laugh Category:Nail Polish Category:Vain Category:Near-Villainess Victory